From Noble to Vagabond: The Tale of Mifuyu
by Makio Hashuma
Summary: Once the daughter of a Noble, the 16 year old girl Mifuyu must now fend for herself when she is imprisoned for murder then shipped to Morrowind. Along the way, she discovers her inner peace and becomes what her ancestors once were: Samurai. Chapter 2 up.
1. Chapter 1

From Noble to Vagabond: The Tale of Mifuyu Jin Fujikawa.

Intro and Overview

Disclaimer: I do not own any shares, parts, or written canon Elder Scrolls story. I own them in no way, nor any of the characters there.

However, my character along with the country of Narcissia, which roughly means "Land of the Serpent", are my own fictional creations. Narcissia is an Asian-Like country of men which tried to colonize Akavir(this is my timeline) but failed. Along with Tamriel, Narcissia has constantly been attacked by the ambitious Serpent-Vampires of Akavir. The country is seemingly united under the one rule of the Shogun, but the defunct Narcissian Imperial Family, not to be confused with Tamriel's Imperial Family, has constantly waged a war to regain its power over the country. The country is basically seperated into two sections, the area under control of the Emperor, who are more Chinese-like, and the area under control of the Shogunate, which are more Japanese-like(duh!). The country has benifitted from trade with Tamriel but the two nations' armies have had tournaments to see which army was the more powerful, the Samurai Army of Narcissia or the Legionairre Army of Tamriel. The two countries also have something of their citizens living in their respective countries, with most Ronin in Tamriel serving as mercenaries or becoming Nobles.

There will be more on this country later, but that's not the focus of this fic. This is the story of a Narcissian-born Noble girl who later became more than her position could ever have been.

_From the long robes of the Noble, a young woman will gain the armour of a soldier, and finally she will realize that everyone has a purpose in life. If miniscule, or immense, she will go from a noble born to uncertain parents to the one who may be the Saviour of the Waning Empire when the Daedra come to consume. Born to uncertain parents, with no lineage, a checkered past, and amongst them all, the destiny of a future greater than she could imagine. This woman shall unite Morrowind, united under the Nerevarine. _

As these words appeared upon the sacred Elder Scrolls in front of him and his priests, Uriel Septim, dying Emperor of the Tamriel Empire erupted into a fit of coughing. His successors were denounced from the lineage, the Empire's fate uncertain. With no heirs and the current ruler dying, the legendary Tamriel Empire that had spent so long to bring order to the continent was now falling apart. Narcissia had just-recently been attacked by the Akaviri Serpent-Vampires and couldn't help aid the stirring provinces of Tamriel, which had all heard of the ailing Emperor, their rulers becoming uneasy about what would become of them if the unity of the Empire was destroyed.

Emperor Septim had been summoned to the Chamber of the Elder Scrolls as a message upon the sacred parcment had appeared, a new fortelling by the all-knowing Scrolls revealed.

"What do you think it could mean", asked Uriel in a raspy voice as his coughing fit had died down.

"_A prisoner born to uncertain parents that was once a Noble", _said the voice of Septim's High Priest, "Unless the blatant meaning is meant to be cryptic, then these scrolls say that a Noble woman of some sort will be imprisoned, released, and join the Imperial Legions. The rest of the prophecy says that she will be the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of some long-dead Dunmer War Hero."

"I need all information on this Nerevar. With the Empire falling apart", croaked the Emperor, "this Nerevarine could aid by bringing unity to Morrowind, something we all could use. Search for this Noble in the Imperial City Prison and have her taken to Morrowind, placed under the command of Caius Cosades and make her an apprentice in the Blades."

"Yes, Your Excellency", replied the High Priest, commanding several of his lackeys to continue recording the paragraphs still appearing on the Elder Scrolls. Writing upon a thick sheet of parchment about the prisoner's release, the High Priest brought it to Uriel Septim, who stamped it with his ring.

The waves crashed upon the ship at sea as the storm continued to rage. It was bound for the port of Seyda Neen on Vvardenfell, carrying the prisoner the Emperor and priests had been talking about. Her name was Mifuyu Fujikawa, who often went by her middle name of Jin.

She was in the farthest-back cell, with another prisoner name Jiub, a Dunmer male with a ghastly scar. Her arms were shackled behind her in strong irons, as were her barefeet shackled in irons to prevent escape. This was mainly due to her sentence, which was for the murder of her cheating husband. Mifuyu was asleep, the storm not disturbing her. As always, it was filled with nightmares of why she was here clad in dirty common clothes.

6 months earlier

Mifuyu had turned 16, her mother and father proud of her increasing skill in gaining possible husbands. She was married to a dashing young noblemen not too long after her lavished party. However, about 2 months into their marriage, she found out that her new husband was cheating on her! As they slept together in bed, Mifuyu's Narcissian kicked in, and the next thing she knew, she was being led down the cobblestone street in her nightgown, her bloodstained hands clapped in irons and her bloody arms held tightly behind her back by two strong Legionairres. According to accounts, she had slit her husband's throat, castrated him, then tore his spine from his back.

At her speedy trial, she was quickly converted, though her husband was cheating on her. So she was sentenced to a life sentence for murder, but was released less than 4 months into her imprisonment. She was now sleeping upon a prison boat bound for Vvardenfell, rather comfortable lying on her side on the floor. While her hands and feet were cuffed, her feet had become calloused and was rarely seen wearing shoes. Her hands were used to being cuffed, as she was cuffed being taken to the jail, cuffed all during her trial, cuffed whenever she was led out for fresh air, cuffed when she was released, and cuffed now on her journey to freedom.

Her dream was interrupted by a tall Chimer woman in a skirt but lacking a top, her breasts exposed. Through research, Mifuyu had known this to be the Daedric Princess Azura, who was known to be a "Good Daedra."

"They have taken you from the Imperial City Prison. First by carriage and now by boat. To the East, for Morrowind. Fear not, for I am watchful. During your journey, you shall face many trials, obstacles, and foes. I shall guide you through each one. You are Chosen. You must learn to uncover you samurai heritage, for without skill, your quest shall fail", said Azura before disappearing.

"Hey, wake up. You're shaking. Are you alright? We're almost there, wake up", came the voice of Jiub, Mifuyu's cell mate. She finally came to, still lying on the ground in irons. Jiub helped her to her feet, though.

"Stand up, there you go. Try and focus. Tell me your name", said Jiub, crossing his arms.

"Mifu...yu", replied Mifuyu in a croaky voice, groggy from the journey, "Mifuyu", she repeated, her voice at its usual tone, silky smooth you hinted with a trace of stubborn pride, which would intimidate most men.

"Well, not even last night's storm could wake you. I've heard them say we've reached Morrowind. I'm sure they'll let us go. Quiet, here's comes the guard", said Jiub urgently, peering down the corridor to see a guard coming.

"This is where you get off", said the guard, stooping and unshackling Mifuyu's legs and gesturing to Jiub, "Come with me."

"We'd better do what they say", grumbled Jiub, following the guard. Mifuyu followed, incensed as to why the guard didn't uncuff her hands, which beat thumpily upon her back as she followed the two. After reaching the floor below deck, the guard shoved Jiub and Mifuyu towards the trap door.

"Get yourselves on deck and make this as civil as possible", snarled the guard. Jiub opened the door and let Mifuyu go first, as she couldn't open the door. The two breathed fresh air for the first time and walked across the plank onto the pier, where another guard was waiting for them.

"Are you two Mifuyu Fujikawa and Jiub", asked the guard.

"Yes", the two replied in unison, Mifuyu smiling shyly. They followed the guard up to the Census Office.

"Head on in", said the guard, unlocking the door for the two.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: A Free Ronin

"Ah yes", said the aged Breton, leader of the Census and Excise office, as Mifuyu padded barefoot into the office, Jiub not far behind, "We've been expecting you. We'll need to fill out your papers before you're officially released. First, I'll need to know your class."

Mifuyu stepped up and presented herself as best she could with her hands cuffed behind her back.

"My name is Mifuyu Fujikawa. I was a member of a noble family in Cyrodiil. At least, until my arrest and trial. I presume I'm disowned", said Mifuyu, sighing before continuing, "My family is a samurai Clan from Narcissia. So I guess Samurai is my class."

"I see. Mind informing me of your class? I need to confirm what skills your Samurai Class has, because you're required to have this resume of sorts when you're joining Guilds", said the Breton, writing down upon a long scroll of parchment.

"Well", replied Mifuyu, clenching her barefeet and shuffling her cuffed qrist uncomfortably, "We emphasize the use of Long Blades, Medium Armour, and Speechcraft. We're also Athletic and our acute senses of sight, smell, hearing, and feeling make us adept at some thievery, so we're good at Sneaking. The other 5 arts we practice would be………Marksmen, Acrobatics, Security, Heavy Armour, and becoming adept at using Short Blades."

"Very good. Now the letter that preceded you mentioned that you were born under a certain sign. What would that be", inquired the Breton, filling out more of the parchment.

"Well, I'd have to say the Tower. I was always good at unlocking complicated locks at a child and sniffing things out, so I kinda realized I could use Tower Key and Beggar's Nose", replied Mifuyu.

"I see. Here are your papers. Take them over to the next building to secure your release", said the Breton, tucking the scroll into the sash of Mifuyu's new kimono, which looked a lot like a men's kimono. She was a warrior now, not a noble. In this case, a women's kimono wouldn't have been suitable.

Mifuyu, with her hands still cuffed behind her back, sniffed and padded towards the door. The guard come up to her and unlocked the door.

"Continue over to the next building and speak with Sellus Gravius", said the guard, uncuffing Mifuyu's wrists.

Free. She was free at last. After 6 months of having her hands mostly cuffed behind her back, seeing as she was labeled as a ruthless killer, she needed to be restrained at most times. She rubbed her wrists, which she saw had grown sinewy and muscular even after 6 months of restraint.

Passing through the room out of the first Census and Excise building, Mifuyu's sharp eyes caught a dagger next to a lockpick on the table.

_I want this dagger sharp as a scamp's claw when I come back for it, you hear_, said the note that the dagger was pinning to the table.

"Don't mind if I do", she muttered, pulling out the dagger and sticking it in the back of her sash.

Another object caught her eye. It was a small chest, locked by what seemed a weak lock.

_I wonder_, she thought, grabbing the lockpick and picking the pathetic lock. Inside was 300 drakes.

"Heh, like taking candy from a baby", grumbled Mifuyu as she stepped out the door.

Inside a barrel next to the door to the next building, Mifuyu found a ring.

"Ah, how beautiful. Too bad it's totally worthless", said Mifuyu, chuckling and slipping the ring onto her finger. She padded up the steps into the next building.

"Your papers, please", said the Imperial Legionairre decked out in Templar Armour.

"Here you go", replied Mifuyu, pulling the scroll out of her sash.

"You have some orders from the Emperor himself. It concerns your release and everything. You're to take this package to Cauis Cosades in Balmora and follow his orders", said the Knight-Errant, handing over two scrolls of parchment, one with directions and the other with the package.

"Seems there's a lot of ordering going on", said Mifuyu, smiling as she made for the door.

"Another thing. This isn't an order, but a request", called Gravius before she made it to the door, "The Imperial Legion in Vvardenfell district is at full strength, minus the Deathshead Legion garrison in Gnisis. You're a Narcissian, and these papers say you're a samurai. You're perfect for the Legions. They could provide some suitable training, seeing as you're just starting out. Just a thought."

"Hm. I'll think on it", replied Mifuyu before stepping outside a free woman……..


End file.
